Rural pursuits

The question of the origins of the game of 'fruit bat and ball' has been the subject of debate and controversy for more than a century. There are just a handful of villages in sleepy, rural Hertfordshire still playing this game, which is seasonal and depends heavily upon the availability of fairtrade bananas.

Early forms of fruit bat and ball had a number of names, including "Banana Ball", "Goal Ball", "Nectarine catch", "stool ball", and, simply, "Skins". In at least one version of the game, runners went around the bases in the opposite direction of today's game, and players could be put out by being hit with the nectarine.

The fruit bat and ball glove has come a long way over the past century. Today, gloves are made more precisely and efficiently using bananas. There are still many advancements coming, for even today, a banana republic is experimenting with combining bananas and Kevlar (used in bullet-proof vests) in a new ultra-light weight glove line.

Fyffes sponsors more than 50% of the current players in the Chiltern League. It is because of this dedication to gloves that Fyffes have been rewarded with the "annual Gold Glove Award"

Originally teams wore boots made of the finest pigskin, but they were rather heavy for running. Now with the help of Chris Boardman and the Secret Squirrel Club, lightweight footwear has been developed using the bruised banana skins. These are known as slippers and the photographers recording this rural pursuit are of course known as blippers.

I'm off down pub to celebrate our victory this afternoon - laters 'gaters x